RENO, CARSON CITY, Nev. (MyNews4.com & KRNV) -- A backlog of thousands of sexual assault kits in Nevada will now get some attention. Nevada will receive a total of $5.6 million from several different sources. The money will be used to address a backlog of an estimated 7,500 untested kits, statewide, some going back decades.
These kits contain physical evidence, including DNA, collected from a person saying they were sexually assaulted. The process includes an invasive and lengthy exam. It can take several hours following an already traumatic event. Attorney General Adam Laxalt said, "They did it obviously to try and produce evidence and make sure that law enforcement could put together cases."
He hopes some of these kits can help solve some unsolved cases. He estimates as many as a 1,000 of those cases are in northern Nevada. His office announced it has secured millions to fix this problem, giving credit to the statewide working group.
Dr. Lisa Smyth-Roam is among those seeking solutions. She serves in the Washoe County Sheriff's Office, working in the crime lab. That is where 80 different northern Nevada agencies send kits to be processed. She explains there could be valid reasons why a kit was never tested. She said, "Detectives could have solved the case, without needed DNA evidence, the victim could have recanted, or some of these were pre-DNA, so that could be a reason DNA testing was never performced in the first place because there was no DNA testing at the time."
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Backlog of rape kits in Nevada will now be processed
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